Little get-to-know-you-doo-hickey thing

Here's a fun little thing I got from my sister's blog. Fanks, Beaky. The ones that are bold are the things I've done. My comments are in the parentheses. Enjoy, if you want.



1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (combined with an orchestra)
4. Visited Hawaii (heck yes)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain (Piccacho Peak counts, right?)
9. Held a praying mantis (and pinned it to my bug collection)
10. Sung a solo
11. Bungee jumped (I wish)
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France too many France ones--I'm adding my own:
19. Been to more than forty-five states (I just lack Wisconsin, Alaska, Oregon and Washington
20. Slept on an overnight train (I slept on a daytime one)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb (I've pet one before)
26. Gone skinny dipping (I can explain: I live at home, alone a lot of the time, and we have an indoor pool and the windows have curtains. So it was more like taking a bath. In a big bathtub.)
27. Run a HALF Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (with a girl, or in baseball?)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (and felt them)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (In England)
35. Seen an Amish community (every Sunday on the way to church in PA)
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (I won't be satisfied until I'm a billionaire)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (Does a caricature count?)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Ridden on a ferris wheel
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (snorkeling rocks!)
52. Kissed in the rain (What?)
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie (do homevideos and school videos count?)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving (I wish!)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades (I love alligators)
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (I broke my brother's finger, though.)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person (hiked it, Rim to Rim)
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
101. Learned to play an instrument


I now challenge Michelle to do this. Love you all.

Sands of Time

Oklahoma Burgers

Not everyone gets to be an astronaut when they grow up.

(Thanks Becky. It's awesome.)

Stocker turned Stalker

He's creepy.
He's sneaky.
He's a stalker.
He's evil.
He's lonely.
He needs a woman.
And a shave.
He is...

Jud Fry



I'm happy.
I'm friendly.
I'm a stocker.
I'm good.
I feel loved.
I don't need a woman.
But I do need a shave.
I am...



Joseph Bailey


We do have a thing in common:



We're both Jud Fry.

Ice Cream Social

The Ice Cream Social was Monday night. The Madrigals did very well, I thought. I was in a couple of special numbers, the main one being 'Emotions' by the BeeGees. I was also, of course, in all of the Madrigal numbers. It was enormously fun. Here is a sample video for your enjoyment.

(Bytheway, I'm the guy they lift up in the middle. I also have a brief appearance as the shark.)

La Mort du Lapin

I know, I have delayed this for weeks. This poor creature has long been buried here near our yard (meaning that I buried it in a shallow grave that has since been raided by the local crowd, namely coyotes and possibly Ivan's descendants) for nigh unto two months and I have neglected to perform the necessary rites for his passage to the other world. So to defer any punishment that rapidly approaches me for this crime (think Antigone), I pen this eulogy:



To be, or not to be. That is the question. Whether tis nobler to suffer the tiny BB's of the outrageous air rifle, or to live with the question of 'Do I really want to live in shrubbery grown by a septic tank?' His life; it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. The dust devils, the jackalopes, the wind whistling through enormous ears that pick up the melodic sounds of gigantic dogs in rapid rabid pursuit. What are men compared to rocks and rottweillers? Would a rabbit by any other name be as spastic? But the rabbit, he took the road more traveled by, and that has made the difference of six inches under. To err is human, to be an Eyre is divine, and to be a rabbit kind of stinks. Bilbo Baggins lived in a hole, not a sandy shallow hole, or a nasty damp muddy hole, not even a hobbit hole, but a rabbit hole. He came to the yard to live deliberately, to suck all the marrow out of the dandelions. Alas, that was his great mistake. And his last one. For then he made like Bambi's mom and got shot. But do not mourn, for that is the great circle of life, the destiny of the Lagomorpha. And so we bid adieu to this most noble of cottontails, to this champion of the oppressed and the hunted. May you live on to run in the great Septic Tank Swamp of the sky. Adieu, adieu, parting is such sweet sorrow.

GO COUGARS!!!!!!!!

Yesterday, BYU took down Wyoming 44-0. It was beautiful. That's BYU's fourteenth win in a row, longest win streak in Division 1. BYU is now ranked #11 in both major polls. If they continue this way (like the overall score for the past two games being 103-0) and go undefeated, then there is a very good chance they could play in a BCS bowl ( dare I whisper NCS Bowl). So things are going pretty awesomely. There are six non-BCS conference teams in the top 25, and three from the Mountain West Conference, which is better than -cough- the Pac-10. -cough- I love this time of year. It's the most wonderful time of the year.

College Application Essay

I'm back! Sorry for the long wait since I have posted. I know that everyone was waiting with baited breath. But seriously, life is going well. In Miss Cunningham's English class, we were assigned to write a sample college application essay. Here's mine. Enjoy.

An Essay About Life, Or Man’s Great Journey

The Knights of the Round Table once sought a Holy Grail. Frodo Baggins once traveled to the land of Mordor to destroy the Ring. Moses once led millions of people to freedom. The Achaeans once launched a thousand ships to recover a woman. These are all great quests; one could even go as far as saying the greatest of quests. But are they really the greatest journeys?

I am the youngest of eight children in my family. All seven of my older siblings are perfect, or within grasp of that goal. They each have their lives planned out and are well on their way to finish their plans. They all know who they are and what they want to do. There is much expected of me, being the youngest. I am to have learned from all of them. I am supposed to take all of their good traits and combine them. In other words, I am supposed to be Superman, or the Hulk without anger issues. I am supposed to be the perfect child of the family, if perfection can attain greater perfection. But the truth is I am not perfect. And however similar I am to my siblings, I am not one of them. I am my own self, I have my own identity. I think for myself. Ego cogito, ergo sum.

But who am I? How do I answer this question? Where do I start? Or, more importantly, where do I finish? The start may be the beginning of my life, the moment of my birth. From that moment, I began to discover myself. To learn is to grow, and in growing, reflection occurs. And in that reflection is the answer to the question. Our own experiences teach us, but our decisions in those experiences mold who we really are. To find myself, I need not lean on others, no matter how strong and firm they are. Yes, I may learn from them and can even grow from their experiences. But I cannot rely on them to find myself, for no matter how similar I am to them, I am different. The journey for knowing who we truly are can only be made by one person. Me. Not my friends, though they be great, wise, and caring; not my family, though they know me best, love me the most, and truly desire to see me succeed as they have; but me. I am the gatekeeper of my own destiny.

I can imagine a throng of learned men, discussing the achievements of my siblings. They go through each one, highlighting triumphs and searching in vain for weaknesses or faults. Valedictorian here, All-State choir member there, future leader in any worthy category of life. Finally, they reach the bottom of the barrel. They look to each other and ask, “What has become of the youngest one? The eighth of the eight? What has he done? What progress has he made in obtaining perfection?” A hush comes over the congregated crowd, who had been earlier declaiming the accolades of the individuals of the family. All expect great speeches of daring deeds and chivalrous acts. But the silence continues, for no one can truly answer. I myself do not know. But how am I to find out? I am Victor Frankenstein, bringing life to my creation. I am Hercules, staring into the six eyes of Cerberus, gatekeeper of Hades. I am Thomas Jefferson, dipping my quill into the ink as I begin one of the world’s greatest documents. The stage is set, the company banded. Thus begins the greatest quest of all.

Vacation

Our family just spent the last two weeks on vacation.

It was the best of times.

The even better of times.

And sometimes it even drooled.

(though you've never seen a cuter drooler.)

But the food was good.

And the company was even better.

Thanks to all those who bore with us and put up with us. It was awesome.

I'm a Pioneer!

I recently went on our stake's handcart trek, as I'm sure most of you know. I thought that I would insert this here picture. It was an amazing experience. I had an awesome family, the Bjornn family. Our motto was Bjornn to be wild. This experience taught me greater appreciation for both my ancestor pioneers and my current family. I'm very glad I went and I encourage anyone who reads this that if they get the opportunity to go, either as a youth or as parents, they should do so without hesitation.